Moharam in Mumbai 2009

Moharam in Mumbai 2009, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

Kaisar Bagh at Dongri, the Khoja Shia citadel of Faith, where this was shot is a moment of spiritual frenzy,and this guy is a volunteer who leads from the front cutting his head with an unimaginable fervor of faith..

He is there on all the few days that this ritual is held from eve of 7 Moharam till 9 Moharam late night.

The next day being Ashura all are involved in the procession from Moghul Masjid to Rehmatabad..

Munna Kama who sent me these pictures is part of a first aid service in a mobile ambulance on Ashura day, and I doubt if any Shia Khoja kid has not had his head cut for the first time under Munna Kama.

He initiates them into this gory ritual of a childs coming of age..and he to cuts his head frantically..I remember shooting a child who took the dagger to cut his head and it would simply not cut, he must have made over a dozen attempts, and the same dagger would cut through the next persons scalp..And I would shoot all this pushed from all sides , and this is a tough one , as the juloos moves around the hall where the kama zani and the zanjir and sword matam takes place.

My French friend Vladimir Mouveau who I bought here a few years back went mentally berserk..So rituals are an integral part of mans religiosity, rituals that one may not like but are a part of a 1400 year old tradition.

My aim as a photo blogger , is to show you all this without glorifying the act, I am a Shia I cannot change my spots for stripes, I dont proselytize , I show you a community's angst its anguish and culture.

I have shot Hindu rituals that will throw you off balance but I as a blogger dont criticize the next mans faith at all, I have shot King Cobras during Nag Panchami at Battis Shirala with my face close to his fangs, and Faith has kept me alive.

But one has to be mature of mind to understand all this , I dont have the financial support or the backing that other photographers have, but I manage , without complain shooting the soul of Humanity barefeet.

All the pictures in this lot were sent to me by Munna Kama to post at my site at Flickr.

And my uploading problem at Flickr is the new pain in my butt, my internet tech checked my connection , they say the problem lies with Flickr.. and to bring this to the notice of Flickr wont help..they will forward my missive to a guy on top who invariably is far too busy to get back to you...

And the journey continues 31 months at Flickr 112969 blogs tell my story...